Little Big Engine, the independent creative agency and production company, is launching a hilarious, offbeat campaign for orthopedic footwear brand KURU that follows a couple surviving the zombie apocalypse while celebrating one unexpected luxury: life without foot pain.
In the :60 video, a 40-something couple sits in their living room, their growling zombie son chained up behind them, as the dad explains how his feet hurt all the time before the apocalypse. But now, thanks to two clean, fresh pairs of KURU orthopedic sneakers removed from zombies they eliminated, Mom and Dad enjoy pain-free comfort despite the zombie apocalypse.
The video, “Outbreak,” is the hero in the campaign “At Least My Feet Don’t Hurt,” which is designed to solve the orthopedic footwear’s longstanding image problem of a category that is dull and unfashionable. But this misconception leaves tens of millions of consumers to bargain with foot pain caused by dozens of chronic medical conditions and everyday ailments—and to suffer in silence.
“We needed to help shift the perceptions of an entire category while building awareness, engagement and preference for KURU,” said Patrick Maravilla, ECD, Little Big Engine. “We created an execution that grabs attention, entertains, demonstrates the problem, introduces the product and dramatizes the relief it provides. We challenged the conventions of a boring and unpopular category by meeting consumers where they are, being honest about what living with foot pain can be like and introducing a solution to one of life’s many difficulties.”
The :60, :30, :15 and shorter versions will run on TVC, online and social channels. The executions include a rapid-fire series of images, gags and jokes that resonate with today’s pop-culture audience. The mom praises the shoes for “running, walking, kicking, stomping” before joking about their zombie son: “You know how teenagers are—they eat anything!” The dad deadpans, “Or anyone.” Later, the dad takes an outdoor shower while a zombie mows the lawn. The dad warns, “It cuts the grass or it gets the kerosene again,” a cheeky callback to The Silence of the Lambs.
The videos include cutaway visuals of KURU’s unique shoe construction and remind consumers of the brand’s bold promise—if KURU shoes don’t improve the customer’s foot pain within 91 days, the product can be returned for a full refund.
“KURU Footwear’s mission is to eliminate foot pain so people can pursue their life’s passion, potential, and purpose,” said Blake Brown, head of Brand and Creative, KURU Footwear. “This ambitious pursuit requires us to think differently about not just our brand and product, but also about the messages we create to help consumers think differently about how it looks to get the relief they deserve. Little Big Engine’s approach to brand storytelling is a perfect fit for our ‘Ortho Outlaw’ personality. ‘Outbreak’ will be one of many stories we tell within the ‘At Least My Feet Don’t Hurt’ campaign platform.”
The campaign also tackles the category’s built-in ageism, since “orthopedic” shoes have long carried cultural connotations as products for older consumers. “But KURU makes shoes every bit as good and stylish as HOKA or ASICS,” Maravilla said. “We wanted to position the brand as the ‘ortho outlaws’ to dismiss those negative perceptions.”
This is the second KURU brand campaign from Little Big Engine since the agency won the business on a project basis in 2025. Little Big Engine is a branding, creative and production agency that delivers creative work that clients can hold accountable. Clients include global brands such as Hooked on Phonics, Wise, Tovala, ZipRecruiter and Edible Arrangements and challenger brands such as Zagg, Skyscanner, Purple Mattress, Chirp, Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter, Pura and Kizik. To learn more: https://www.littlebigengine.com/
